Chasing After Two Hares
by dearjoanwallace
Summary: Leonardo’s trust in Karai puts himself and his brothers in danger.
1. Chapter One

By Kellyanne Lynch

5-21 April 2008

Beta-Readers: Moonshayde from Livejournal, Amelia Roth, Meg Satine

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I don't even know them; I have just been a fan for seventeen plus years. This story is for entertainment purposes only, unless you want to give me a quarter. Then I'll tell you your fortune. I love quarters.

Summary: Leonardo's trust in Karai puts him and his brothers in danger.

Rating: PG-13

--

**Chapter One**

Leonardo sliced his katana into the crimson stain, his muscles tense with determination. He scraped deeper and deeper. Sweat seeped from every pore of his green skin.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Michelangelo asked. He stood behind his brother and crossed his arms.

Leonardo turned from the refrigerator. "I'm trying to clean the fridge, Mike. You sure didn't make it easy on me, dumping pizza sauce down the side of the drawer." He gestured to the red mark. He picked off a chunk of gunk with the blade and studied it. "What did you put in this stuff?" he asked. "Cement?"

Michelangelo raised his arms. "Hey, dude, you know I can't reveal what goes in my secret sauce, not even to you. Sorry, bro."

"Well, next time, can't you clean it up when it's still wet?" Leonardo asked. Gritting his teeth, he sawed the tip of his katana across the dried sauce. "It's a pain the shell getting it off almost a week later."

"Now you know what I had to put up with last week!" Donatello's voice carried into the kitchen before the turtle entered the room. He was wiping his hands on a rag, which he then swiped across his forehead.

"It couldn't have been this bad." Leonardo shook his head. "Look at this mess!"

Donatello peered over his brother's shoulder. He shrugged. "Oh, that? That's nothing."

"What do you mean? 'Nothing'! I've been working on it for twenty minutes!" Leonardo protested. "I started with a Brillo, but that didn't even scratch the surface. I haven't done much damage with my katana…" He watched Donatello settle into his chair at the kitchen table. His brother wore a satisfied grin. "You're already done cleaning the bathroom?"

"Oh yeah," Donatello beamed. He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the table. "I took care of Mikey's soap sculptures and all."

"Dude, that's because you used your…"

Donatello widened his eyes at his youngest brother. "Hey, you have your secret sauce, and I have mine!"

Michelangelo nodded toward Donatello but looked to Leonardo. "He's invented a super duper powerful cleaner."

Leonardo's armed hand dropped, his katana clacking against the floor. "Don, you've got to let me use some!"

Donatello swung his legs to the floor and jumped to his feet in one fluid movement. "All right! All right!" He feigned a longsuffering sigh and headed for his lab.

"Thanks, bro!" Leonardo called after him. "I owe you one." He resumed scraping the pizza sauce. He bore down harder and harder. With a groan, he thrust his katana into one corner. The blade slipped off the edge and slid right over the top of the stain. Leonardo lost his balance and fell into the refrigerator.

"Holy!" Michelangelo exclaimed, rushing to his brother's side. "Leo, are you okay?" He helped the fallen turtle to his feet.

Leonardo rubbed his head. "Yeah, I'm fine, Mike… but I can't say the same for the fridge."

Both turtles peered into the refrigerator, at the six inch gash at the back.

"Maybe, if we stick the jug of milk in front of it, Sensei won't notice?" Michelangelo offered.

Laying a hand on his brother's shoulder, Leonardo shook his head. "No, Mike, I can't hide my mistakes," he sighed. "Thanks anyway."

Donatello shuffled into the kitchen, carrying a metal spray bottle. "Now, Leo," he explained. "You only need the slightest amount or else…" His words faded at the sight of the fridge. "Dude! You killed it!"

Leonardo rubbed the back of his neck.

"Um… Let me see if I have anything in my lab that might repair the damage." Donatello handed the spray bottle to his oldest brother. "Why don't you make your peace with the fridge in the meantime?" He glanced at Michelangelo. "Hey, are you finished cleaning your room?"

Michelangelo laughed. "Shell, no! I got the munchies and came down here for a snack!"

"Well, you should grab your snack and get back to work," Donatello advised. "Sensei won't be happy if he comes back and still can't see the floor of your room."

"Yeah, yeah!" Michelangelo snatched a box of cold pizza off the kitchen table and shuffled out of the room.

Leonardo watched his brothers leave before spritzing the dried sauce with Donatello's solution. The stain dissolved before his eyes. "All right, bro!" He whispered the cheer with a smile.

Leonardo wiped down the rest of the refrigerator with a soapy sponge and dried it with a towel in his other hand as he went. The job was done in two minutes. Soon, he was taking all the food off the kitchen table and restocking the refrigerator.

His shell cell beeped at his side just as he closed the refrigerator door. Leonardo pulled it off his belt and flipped it open. His eyes focused on the dark haired beauty staring back. "Karai?"

"Leonardo," she replied in an even tone. "Please, I need to speak with you. Meet me on the roof of the Motegi building."

The turtle's face tensed. "What is it? Is everything all right?"

"We will speak in person, Leonardo. Please, meet me in ten minutes." Karai's image vanished.

Leonardo stared at the blank screen for a few seconds before shutting the shell cell. He grabbed his mask off the table and walked out of the kitchen. As he rounded the corner, he bumped into Michelangelo.

"Ugh!" The both exclaimed as they collided.

"Mikey," Leonardo rumbled, rubbing his head. "Where the shell are you going?"

Michelangelo widened his eyes beneath the hand massaging his scalp. "Dude, I was just getting a snack!"

THUD!

"Holy shit! What the shell!" The string of obscenities continued to flow out of the dojo.

Leonardo and Michelangelo exchanged glances.

"Yeah, Raph's not too big on polishing exercise equipment," Michelangelo explained.

"You're one to talk," Leonardo replied with a chuckle. "How many snack breaks have you had? Four or five?"

"You missed a couple when you were still cleaning your room," Michelangelo admitted sheepishly. He glanced at the mask in his brother's hand. "Hey, going somewhere?"

Leonardo nodded. As he tied the mask behind his head, he said, "Karai called. She wants to talk."

Michelangelo's body stiffened in its shell. "And you're going alone?"

"She says I'm the only one she can trust."

"Yeah, but can you trust her?"

"No."

Leonardo and Michelangelo turned toward the lab, where a stern Donatello stood with his arms crossed.

"No," Donatello repeated, making eye contact with his oldest brother. "You can't. Sensei doesn't want you getting close to her."

"He told me to trust my instincts," Leonardo replied. He approached Donatello and crossed his own arms. "He hasn't forbidden me from seeing her."

Donatello tightened his grasp on his biceps. "He didn't say it, but you know what he wants."

Leonardo nodded. "Yes, but in telling me to trust my instincts, Sensei recognizes that I'm old enough to make my own decisions."

Heaving a sigh, Donatello closed his eyes. He shook his head and lowered it to his chest. "I don't know about this, Leo."

Leonardo turned to his youngest brother and flashed him a smile. "See you later, Mikey! No more snack breaks. That room needs to be clean before Splinter returns." His smile faded when he turned to Donatello. "Later, Don." Leonardo slipped out of the lair.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

A bitter November chill nipped the air topside. Leonardo wished he had opted for a disguise – like a nice, thick hooded sweatshirt – when he emerged from the sewers and shivered. Who would have thought the underground would be warmer? He stole through the shadows of a dark alley as day fell to dusk, scaling a building the moment he had sufficient laddering. He floated across the rooftops like a lizard across a pond, his feet deftly grasping metal and brick and leaping over gaps between buildings. His eyes were locked on his ultimate destination.

A small jet black flag in the distance grew larger and more detailed the closer he got, until he could make out the individual strands that waved over its flag stand – a set of slight yet capable shoulders, also clad in black. Karai turned toward Leonardo when the turtle was a building away. She stepped back, and he landed at a crouch in the spot where she once stood.

Karai bowed her head. "I thank you, Leonardo, for coming on such short notice. This matter is of the most urgency."

Leonardo stood to his full height and also inclined his head. His eyes were tender when he looked upon her, even through the mask. "What is it, Karai?"

She drew her arms from her sides, and as she crossed them, a gust of cold air spiraled around her. It whipped through Leonardo and raced through the Manhattan skyline. The turtle shivered.

"The Foot Elite has risen again," she breathed. She narrowed her eyes on his as she dropped her head. "A small faction from the original Elite broke rank shortly before our battle. They have a new leader, and they grow stronger by the day. I ask the turtles' assistance to put a stop to this uprising. We must return them to our ranks before it is too late. They have plans to reclaim New York for the Purple Dragons."

"I will have to speak with my sensei and my brothers," Leonardo replied. He hugged his arms to his plastron. "They are not so quick to trust after their last encounter with you."

Karai closed her eyes and lowered her head. "That is to be expected. I hold nothing against them for this." She gazed upon the turtle. "But you, Leonardo, I sense that you understand my position better than your brothers and even better than your master. Oroku Saki is my father. I must honor him. No matter what he has become, that is my duty as his daughter. My duty is not to question… and yet, I do. And you understand."

Images of Splinter donning the Shredder's armor and helmet flashed through Leonardo's mind. He saw himself and his brothers guarding their sensei on four sides, fighting for him against all creatures of the earth. In his mind, Splinter grew. He clenched a fist in the air and snarled for blood. Closing his eyes, Leonardo shook the scene from his mind. Slowly, he nodded.

"In time, I hope to earn back your trust," Karai said. She stepped closer to Leonardo. "For now, I hope that I can count on you and your brothers to assist in putting an end to the new Foot Elite."

Leonardo scanned the eyes of the leader of the Foot. He saw her determination. Gazing deeper, he glimpsed desperation as well. He nodded his head to Karai. "I will do my best to assist you."

"Thank you, Leonardo." Karai smiled. She took his hand. "In time, I hope to restore honor to our alliance."


	3. Chapter Three

**Autor's Note:** Thanks, folks, for reading!

I'm realizing now that I should have explained myself from the start. I am a fan of all that is Ninja Turtle - the comics, the movies, the old and the new series... This fic is essentially an amalgamation of everything I've experienced in all media of the Ninja Turtle fandom, with my own spin. I've pretty much taken my favourite parts of everything TMNT.

This fic takes place after the events of City At War, when the turtles helped Karai bring the Foot Elite under her control in exchange for a cease-fire from the Foot. The tale is told differently in the Mirage comics and in the 2003 series. Consider this more as part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle mythology rather than cannon.

--

"Are you serious?" Raphael stood incredulous at his older brother. "She almost got us all killed, and you want to trust her again?"

Leonardo rose from his position on the couch. "All I am saying is that we work with her one more time to defeat a common enemy."

Raphael shook his head and looked to his sensei. "Master Splinter, you think we should go along with this?"

From his chair across the room, Splinter looked to Raphael. "My son, I believe, in this matter, you should look within."

Donatello heaved a sigh. "But, Sensei, if you don't trust Karai, why can't you forbid this?"

"Donatello, I am your teacher. Trust is a matter of the heart. It cannot be taught. I shall let my students decide which path to choose."

"How about a path that goes by the pizza shop?" Michelangelo suggested. He lay on his back on the floor, hands to his midsection. "All that cleaning wiped me out, dudes. I'm starved! I need some serious fuel."

Raphael threw an empty pizza box at his youngest brother. "**You're** starved? What about the rest of us? You ate everything in the lair while we were actually working." He turned to his sensei. "Now there's a guy who chooses his path with his stomach!"

Donatello was pacing behind the couch. He stopped and looked to Leonardo. "How do we even know if what she says is true?" he asked. "How do you know she's not lying to you again?"

"She lied before to protect her father," Leonardo argued. Donatello resumed his pacing.

"Yeah, Shredder!" Raphael snorted. "She could easily lie for him again. Hey, how do you know she's not leading us into a trap? How do you know she's not using you?"

"I just do," Leonardo replied. He looked to each of his brothers. "I believe that she wants to make things right by us. She just made a mistake. She was confused. Shredder is the only father she has ever known, and it is her duty to respect him, no matter what kind of man he is."

"He's not even a man!" Raphael exclaimed, raising a hand.

"And neither are we," Leonardo countered, squaring his shoulders with his brother and staring deep into his eyes. "Does that make us any less? Neither is Sensei. Does that make him any less? We are still his sons, and we still follow his teachings."

Donatello shook his head. "But it doesn't make sense, Leo. Sensei is good, as are his teachings. Shredder is bad. Karai must recognize that. She has to know right from wrong and that she needs to do right."

"Does she?" Leonardo looked to Donatello. "Is it really that easy?"

"She's not going to know right from wrong if Shredhead is the only one who's been teaching her, dudes." Michelangelo rolled himself into a half lotus position on the floor. "Come on, guys! If Leo thinks she's coming around, I say we quit worrying about trusting her, and we trust him." Glancing at Leonardo, he added, "I'm in."

Donatello winced. "Mikey, it's not about trusting Leo. It's a lot more complicated than that…"

"Yeah, like everybody knows that Leo and Karai have always had this thing," Raphael muttered.

"That's not true," Leonardo argued. "We just have an understanding. So Donny, Raph, what do you guys say?"

"We've got nothing to lose," Michelangelo persuaded. "If the Foot Elite are back, we need to take care of business anyway. We might as well work with Karai." He leaned back and jumped to his feet in one fluid movement. Looking from Donatello to Raphael, he asked, "Don't you guys want to kick some butt?"

"Michelangelo," Splinter addressed the youngest. "This is not about kicking butt. This is about being brothers. You must all come to an understanding and choose your next move together."

Donatello and Raphael exchanged glances.

"All right, I'm in," Donatello mumbled, lowering his head.

Leonardo and Michelangelo looked to their other brother, who shrugged.

"Whatever," muttered Raphael.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Karai kneeled on the roof and unfurled a large sheet of paper. The turtles crouched in a circle before her. Each held a corner, keeping the paper flat. Karai hunched over her plans.

"This is the headquarters for the new Foot Elite." She pointed to the square encompassing all else on the page. "My informants tell me…"

"What informants?" Raphael demanded.

Karai paused, her face stony.

Leonardo glared at his brother. "Raph, could you just listen? Please, Karai, continue."

She held her gaze upon Raphael for another moment before lowering them to her plans. "My informants tell me that their leader, Koga Arata, resides in the innermost room, which is here. Few are permitted to step within his chamber. Those within and without must guard it." She swept her finger across the lower half of the paper. "All along here. There is no access to the upper floor and to Koga Arata's quarters, unless you go through the Foot first."

"Can't we just break through a window on the second floor?" Donatello asked.

Karai shook her head. "There are no windows. There is, however, access through this chimney." She traced the chimney in her drawing. "Koga Arata has had the fireplace sealed, but there is still a pathway from the chimney to a space behind the wall of that room. We can break through there and…"

A greasy string of mozzarella slopped onto the outline of Koga Arata's room. All eyes went to Michelangelo, who was halfway through a slice of peanut butter and fluff pizza. When the turtle shrugged, a blob of fluff dribbled onto the plans.

"What?" He asked. "Can't a turtle eat before battle? Kicking butt makes me hungry."

"Dude, everything makes you hungry," Raphael replied.

Donatello nudged his brother's shoulder, guiding him into a sitting position a few feet away from the paper. "The least you can do is to keep it to yourself. You're getting it all over the plans!"

Michelangelo glanced down. Catching a glimpse of the mess, he blushed. "Oops! Sorry, guys!"

"Won't breaking down the wall alert the rest of the Foot Elite?" Leonardo asked Karai.

She nodded. "That is why you and I will break in through the wall. The others will engage the ninjas on the first floor first, creating a diversion so they do not hear what is happening upstairs."

"Whoa! Whoa! Hold the anchovies!" Raphael threw his hands in the air. "This is sounding fishy! Why Leo?"

Karai narrowed her sights on the turtle. "Leonardo is the obvious choice, Raphael. His weapon is the katana. Would it not be more effective in breaking through a wall than a pair of sais? Or a pair of nunchucks or a bo?"

Donatello grimaced. "She has a point there."

"Yeah, yeah," Raphael grumbled, crossing his arms.

"How many Foot are there, Karai?" Leonardo asked. "What odds will we be up against?"

"I have been informed that their ranks exceed one hundred," she replied, "but many are out on a mission. That is why I have chosen this night. Approximately thirty remain."

Raphael drew his sais and clacked them together. "Hey, I like them odds," he smirked.

"We do not want to harm these people," Karai warned. "When their leader falls, they will be under our control. Then they will be our allies. They are honorable men and women. Engage them in battle, but you must not kill."

"Maybe you should have mentioned that to Leo during your little rendezvous," Raphael scoffed. "I could have watched my old _Star Trek _tapes and have practiced my Vulcan neck pinch."

"Raph," Leonardo warned.

"All I am saying is that I can't make any promises."

Leonardo got to his feet. His brothers and Karai followed suit. "Then we are ready," he said.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

"A jolly fat man can get down a chimney, and I get stuck?" Leonardo asked.

From below his swinging legs, Karai said, "If you move to the left, your shell will run diagonal to the opening, and you will fit."

"That's the problem," Leonardo replied. "I can't move to the left! I can't move to any side!"

"Raise yourself with your arms and then move your body."

Leonardo gripped the sides of the chimney and pushed up on his hands. He gritted his teeth as he lifted half his body out of the chimney. As he pushed himself to the left, his shell scraped against the brick. "Ugh! Damn it!" he muttered. The further he pulled left, the less constricted he felt. He let go. The pit of his stomach dropped as he free fell down the chimney. He collided with Karai, knocking them both to the floor.

Leonardo rolled off her. "Sorry." He helped a winded Karai to a sitting position.

Darkness surrounded the two. Karai got to her hands and knees and groped the wall. "The wall is to our right, along this passageway. Follow me." She crawled forward and ducked into the tight space.

Leonardo got on his hands and knees and followed. His shell scraped along either side of the passage. Lactic acid built in his biceps as he pulled himself along by the arms, and they burned. Closing his eyes as he muscled his way down the passage, he focused inwardly and meditated to block out the pain.

At long last, Leonardo saw Karai get to her feet. His head soon peaked out the other end of the passage, and he stood. The two approached the wall. Karai held a finger to her lips. Murmuring resounded from the other side.

"If we can hear them," she whispered, "Then they can hear us."

They stood in silence. Leonardo soon realized that he was staring into Karai's eyes and started when he realized that she was staring back. She smiled.

"Thank you, Leonardo." Her breath tickled his snout. "In time, I hope that I may call you friend."

As she drew closer to him, chaos ensued beneath their feet. The floor rumbled, and the muted sounds of battle seeped through the floorboards.

"Your brothers have engaged the Foot Elite," Karai stated. "Now is our chance."

The two warriors drew their weapons and stabbed them into the wall. The drywall, weak with age, crumbled in the wake of the slashing blades. Leonardo and Karai clenched their teeth and grunted as they broke through the other side.

All eyes in the chamber were on them – six Foot soldiers dressed in tradition black hooded garb, surrounding their master. Koga Arata towered over his Foot, a tall and husky Japanese man with long hair tied on the top of his head. Through a menacing goatee, he snarled.

"Foot!" Koga Arata shouted, commanding the attention of the six. "Attack!"

The six, as one, charged at the intruders. Karai sneered, crossed her swords, and crouched. With a "Hiya!", she sprung into the air, over the heads of the oncoming line of Foot. She gave one ninja a swift kick to the back.

Meanwhile, the other five descended upon Leonardo. He hunkered down and charged at the legs of the one in the middle. The ninja flipped over the turtle's shell and crashed through the broken wall. Another hunk of drywall gave way and landed on his head.

Other Foot Elite closed in on Karai. While she was engaged in combat with one ninja, another dealt a roundhouse kick to her stomach. Karai doubled over, her swords clanging to the floor. Both Foot charged. Just as they were about to reach her, she sprung from the spot. The two collided.

Leonardo slipped his katanas beneath the feet of another ninja and flipped him like a flapjack. The ninja crashed beside the first Leonardo had taken down. More drywall crumbled around the two.

A blade sliced into Leonardo's right bicep. The turtle staggered but spun on his heels to face the assailant. The other's sword swung at his midsection. Leonardo blocked it with his left katana. With his right, he knocked one of the ninja's weapons out of his hands.

The other gripped his sword and wielded the weapon at an arch. Leonardo countered the blow. He crossed his katanas and pulled the sword out of the ninja's hands at the hilt. A kick to the abdomen sent the other sprawling on his back.

Leonardo set his crossed katanas on either side of the ninja's neck. He inclining his head to the fallen Foot and sheathed his weapons. He turned in time to see Karai drop the remaining ninja. Leonardo joined her, and the pair stood side by side before Koga Arata.

"Well fought," Koga Arata conceded with a sinister smirk, "but have you the skill to take on a master?" He flipped a pair of sais from his belt and drew his heels together, sais crossed, in a ready stance.

Leonardo drew his katanas, extending the right at a forty-five degree angle and protecting his face with the left. Karai prepared with a chudan no kamae, grasping the hilt of her sword below her stomach and pointing the blade at Koga Arata's throat. The two warriors bounced on the balls of their feet, both looking to their opponent's eyes.

Koga Arata drew his legs shoulder width apart and sais to the side. The right, he raised to Leonardo. The left, he held in chamber at his hip. Lunging forward with his left foot, he drew the blade of the right sai under his forearm and slammed the butt of the sai into Karai's chest. She tumbled to the floor.

Leonardo slashed the exposed right arm. Koga Arata snarled and elbowed the turtle in the face, the tip of his sai slicing snout. Leonardo's shell hit the floor hard. Koga Arata delivered a blow to his opponent's face with the butt of his sai. Black spots crossed Leonardo's vision, and he blinked. He threw his weight back and pounded his feet into Koga Arata's torso, launching the other across the room. Leonardo then sprung to his feet.

Koga Arata rose, and Karai ran at him with her sword. With an underhand swing, she slipped the sword behind his leg and knocked him to the ground. Her weapon plunged for his heart, but his crossed sais deflected. With a flick of his right wrist, he twisted the blade of Karai's sword and yanked it from her grasp. His sai dug deep into her side.

"Ahh!" she cried, crumpling to the floor.

"Karai!" Leonardo exclaimed.

Koga Arata raised his second sai to strike. Leonardo threw himself at the other, catching the sai on his forearm. Koga Arata turned and deflected Leonardo's oncoming katana.

Koga Arata and Leonardo each drew back a few paces and glared down one another. Leonardo held his katanas at the ready, observing his breath and clearing his mind of all conflict, of all emotion, of… Karai. He focused his mind on becoming one with his katanas.

Koga Arata drew his sais into a chambered position. He lowered his head and raised his left elbow. As Leonardo deflected the tip of that sai, Koga Arata pivoted on his foot and threw his right side forward. The second sai stabbed through Leonardo's plastron.

"Ungh!"

Katanas clattering to the floor, he dropped to his knees. His hands gripped his midsection as he doubled over. His world was fading fast.

"Sayonara!" Koga Arata cackled.

Leonardo closed his eyes. He made his peace, knowing that he would die honorably. When the fatal blow didn't come, he slumped forward and lost consciousness.


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

The darkness cleared, and Leonardo opened his eyes. Florescent lights stabbed through his head. Wincing, he groaned.

"Leo!" Michelangelo exclaimed.

Leonardo blinked until his brother came into focus. The turtle was knelt beside him on the floor, an arm cradled beneath his head. "What happened?" he rasped.

"I'll tell you what happened!" Donatello exclaimed. He was also crouched beside the injured, holding a handful of black cloth against Leonardo's plastron. "You almost got your head chopped off! We took out the Foot soldiers downstairs and got here in time to stop Koga Arata from decapitating you! We gotta get you out of here! Where the shell is Raph with those supplies?" He looked over his shoulder with a scowl.

"You come find a board that size if you think it's so damn easy!" Raphael shouted, well out of Leonardo's line of sight.

"Oh, for Pete's sake!" Donatello muttered. He took hold of Michelangelo's hand and positioned it on the rag on Leonardo's plastron. "Here, hold this until I get back. You need to apply pressure to stop the bleeding, but…"

"Ahh!" Leonardo cried out when Michelangelo bore down on the wound.

"But not too hard!" Donatello snapped. He got to his feet. "I'll be back."

When Donatello's footsteps faded, Michelangelo apologized. "Leo, man, I am so sorry!"

Through tears, Leonardo squinted at his brother. "It's okay, Mikey. You were just trying to help."

Michelangelo grimaced. "Does it hurt real bad?"

Leonardo closed his eyes and nodded. When he opened them, he asked, "Where's Karai?"

"She took off after Koga Arata," Michelangelo explained. "He high-tailed it out of here after we jumped him. We just let him go. We couldn't leave you, man."

Leonardo squinted at his brother through the glare and the pain. Gashes covered Michelangelo's arms, and his plastron was rough in places. "Thanks for saving my life."

"Well hey," Michelangelo smiled. "What are brothers for?"

"Apparently, they're for lugging your ass out of battle and through the sewers!" Raphael quipped. He and Donatello appeared, carrying a two-by-four. Donatello held a fist of black cloth in his other hand.

"What are you guys doing?" Leonardo asked.

"We thought this might look nice back at the bat cave," Raphael replied. He and Donatello placed the board on the floor beside their wounded brother. "What does it look like we're doing? We're getting your shell out of here!"

Donatello shuffled Michelangelo out of the way and slipped his hands under Leonardo's shoulders. Nudging his head in the direction of his brother's feet, he directed, "Raph, get his legs. Mike, you help slide his shell. And gently, guys!"

Leonardo's eyes widened. "What, you're going to carry me out on a board?!"

"Give the gentleman a cigar!" Raphael's sweaty palms took hold Leonardo's calves, and Michelangelo gingerly set his hands on the left side of his brother's shell.

"Guys! Wait! Hold on a second!" Leonardo protested. "I can walk!" He slid his forearms back and pushed up off the floor. He felt his insides tear as he raised his body a few inches. Leonardo's face crumpled, color draining from his features. "Ahh!"

Donatello helped him back to the floor. "Hence the board," he grimaced. He looked at the black cloth he had pressed to his brother's midsection. "You're bleeding badly enough as it is." He looked to each of his brothers again. "On the count of three, we're going to slide him onto the board. Ready? One, two, three."

Donatello and Raphael lifted the wounded turtle a few inches into the air, and Michelangelo eased the shell to the left until their injured brother was on the board. Leonardo groaned.

"Now we need to use these strips of cloth to secure him," Donatello said. He got to his feet and handed Raphael a fistful of cloth. "Tie one just under the shoulders and one above the knees. That should be enough. Don't make it too tight. Mikey and I will pick him up so you can get the ties in place."

Michelangelo stood and went to Leonardo's feet. He took hold of the board.

"Nice and slow," Donatello directed, his eyes set on Michelangelo's. "Ready? One, two, three."

Donatello and Michelangelo lifted the board with their brother on top. Raphael went to work putting the ties in place.

"Raph, when you're done?" Donatello said as Raphael tied the knot at Leonardo's knees. "You're going to need to keep applying pressure to that wound. Walk beside us and keep your hand there."

Raphael nodded. He finished the knot and went to his brother's side. His hand went to the site, but jerked back. "Um, Don? Do you have another cloth?" He held up his hand, which was drenched in blood.

Donatello blanched. "Oh, no! This isn't good!" He blinked hard and swallowed harder. He straightened his back and tossed another piece of black cloth to Raphael. "Put this one over the one already there. Okay, guys, we have to hurry! Mike, I'll lead."

Donatello moved toward the doorway with Leonardo in tow. Michelangelo followed, his hands clenched to the end of the board. As directed, Raphael walked by their side with the rag to his brother's plastron. Together, the three eased Leonardo down a flight of stairs and through the lower level of the building. Fallen Foot lay in the rubble of battle. The brothers stepped around the bodies and came out the foot door, where the Turtle Van waited. A familiar silhouette stood before the open rear hatch.

"My son!" Splinter exclaimed. He hobbled to his oldest. He looked to the saturated rags and then, with saddened eyes, to Leonardo's face. "He is gravely injured. We must get him home."

"Raph, you drive," Donatello directed. Raphael nodded and took to the driver's seat. "Mike, I'm going to lay the board down on the floor of the van. Once I do, wait for me to get in. Then, we're going to slide it all the way inside. I'll guide the board on the right side. Sensei, could you please guide on the left?"

Splinter closed his eyes and inclined his head. "We shall follow your lead, Donatello."

Slowly, Donatello nodded. He set down his end of the board on the floor of the van. He gave a hand up to his sensei before taking his position to the right. Splinter applied pressure to Leonardo's wound.

"Okay, now, Michelangelo."

Michelangelo eased his hands into his end of the board. Leonardo closed his eyes as Splinter and Donatello took a loose hold of the sides. Once the board was inside, Michelangelo hopped in and shut the hatch behind him. "We're in," he called to Raphael. The Turtle Van was on the move.

Donatello was already bustling through a first aid kit. He pulled out all the sterile gauze. "We should have ibuprofen in here. Damn it, I can't find it anywhere!"

"I think I used it up a couple weeks ago," Michelangelo admitted. "I'm sorry."

"There's no time for apologies now." Donatello gently nudged Splinter's bloodied hand aside and set a heap of gauze on Leonardo's plastron. He pressed his palm to the wound and took in a sharp breath. A glance at the palm confirmed that the blood had already soaked through. Donatello paled.

The Turtle Van jarred over a sharp bump. Leonardo howled over the vehicle's rattle. His eyes rolled back in his head.

"Leo!" Donatello exclaimed, grabbing more gauze and pressing it to the wound.

"What's happening?" Raphael demanded from the driver's seat.

Michelangelo opened his mouth to respond. Instead, he choked on tears. He took hold of Leonardo's hand.

"Raphael, you must focus on the road," Splinter instructed. With one hand, he turned the injured turtle's face toward his. "Leonardo, you must focus on me."

Leonardo's eyelids fluttered, his features contorted in pain. A moan resounded from his throat. His head dropped and was dead weight in his sensei's hand.

"Leonardo!" Splinter commanded, and Leonardo started. He continued in a softer tone. "You will listen to the voice of your sensei. Now, open your eyes."

Leonardo did as he was told, too weak to open his eyes more than halfway. He drew in ragged breaths. "Sensei," he rasped.

"Focus," Splinter breathed. He leaned over his son. Removing Donatello's hand from Leonardo's midsection, he placed his palms over the gauze. Splinter took slow, deep breaths through his nose and exhaled them through his mouth. This and Leonardo's labored breathing were the only sounds, save the hum of the van through the streets of Manhattan.

Suddenly, Leonardo stiffened. His body quivered, and he clenched his chattering teeth.

"Sensei?" Donatello pleaded, but Splinter shushed him. He lowered his head and maintained his meditative breathing with his wounded son shivering beneath his touch. Tears welled in the turtle's eyes. Michelangelo and Donatello's jaws dropped as they watched their oldest brother begin to cry. Michelangelo's features crumpled as he bawled right along with him. Donatello wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

As Splinter lifted his hands, Leonardo's chin dropped to his chest. His eyes closed, and the tears ceased. Donatello and Michelangelo looked from him to their sensei with wide, horror-stricken eyes.

"Will somebody tell me what the shell is going on back there?" Raphael called to the others.

"Drive, Raphael!" Splinter said. He looked to Donatello and Michelangelo. "He will be all right."


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

Leonardo awoke inside his darkened room. He saw the shape of one of his brothers leaning over him with a mug. The brother carefully tilted his head back and trickled warm liquid down his throat. Leonardo coughed. He reached up and nudged the mug from his mouth.

"Leo, you need to drink this," Donatello whispered.

Leonardo ran his tongue across the roof of his mouth, tasting bitter herbs. He took the mug from his brother and forced himself to drink more. "What is it?" he gagged between sips.

"It's Sensei's usual mix – Senburi for the pain, Kaki to stop the bleeding, and Ashitaba to fight infection. I added a little Kudzu and Kumazasa for disease and infection prevention and Mishima-saiko and Ukogi for vitality."

Leonardo looked into the mug. He moved it in a slow, tight circle, watching bits of leaves swish in a whirlpool. He pushed himself to take another mouthful and sputtered.

"Hey, easy there!" Donatello admonished. He removed the mug from his brother's hand and set it on the table. "We just got you back."

Leonardo's head dropped back into his pillow. "How long have I been out?"

Donatello grimaced. He was looking at the floor when he replied. "Over forty-eight hours. I was beginning to think I missed something in the initial ultrasound and should give you another." Wide eyes connected with his brother's. "Leo, I don't know how it's possible, but that stab wound missed all your organs. It's remarkable! You may have been a mess – and you did lose a lot of blood – but you should make a full recovery in a few months."

Leonardo glanced at his bandaged plastron. Even thinking about moving it made him hurt. He couldn't imagine being without pain or his plastron being whole.

Donatello pulled his chair closer to his brother. "So… what was it like?"

"What was…?" Leonardo's voice trailed. He held a hand to his injury. "It's… it's so hard to explain," he murmured. "I was so weary, and I was losing my sight. I could hear voices, but I didn't have the strength to respond. Soon, I couldn't even tell what people were saying. Then I recognized Sensei's voice, and I saw this light…"

He looked away from Donatello and lowered his head.

"When Koga Arata was about to kill me, I was prepared to die," Leonardo told his brother. "I feared nothing in that moment. But… when I saw the light and felt heat radiating through my injury, I… I was afraid. I was weak."

"Sensei says that happens sometimes during Reiki, even to the strongest warriors," Donatello explained. Tears welled in his eyes. "It was his channeling the universe's life force energy that saved you. I don't want to think what would have happened if Sensei hadn't been there."

Leonardo turned to his brother. "You would have saved me." He smiled. "Don, you really know how to take charge. I heard you telling everybody what to do. You even ordered Raph around… and he listened!"

Donatello laughed. "You know that he's just a big teddy bear, deep down. He would do anything to save your life, including taking orders from me."

Leonardo beamed. "Yeah, I know. I knew there was a reason I keep you guys around."

A tear escaped Donatello's eye. He brushed at both eyes with the heels of his hands.

Leonardo held out his arms. "Aw! Come here, you!"

Donatello threw his arms around Leonardo's neck and quietly wept into his brother's collarbone. Leonardo patted his back and gave him a squeeze.

"I'm all right, Donny," Leonardo assured him. "I'm going to be fine, thanks to you. Thank you."

Donatello hung on tight for several more seconds. Then he cleared his throat. He took a step back once he had composed himself. "I should let you get some rest," he said, gesturing to the entryway. "You should sleep."

Leonardo nodded. He sunk deeper into his pillow and closed his eyes. Donatello took one last look at his brother before leaving the room.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

Leonardo sat upright in bed amidst a sea of comics and hardbound books. His eyes were fixed on the screen of a gray handheld device, his thumbs darting furiously from button to button and compulsively pressing. He didn't notice Michelangelo watching him from the doorway.

"Dude, Raph is going to kill you for swiping his Gameboy!"

"No, he's not," Leonardo mumbled, his focus never leaving the device. "He gave it to me." Across the screen, he saw the words GAME OVER. He shrugged and set the Gameboy face-down beside him. The words DON'T TOUCH stared back at him in red in Raphael's handwriting.

Michelangelo glanced at the text for a moment before reaching for the Gameboy. "Wow. Then I guess he wouldn't mind if I…"

"Hands off, Mike!" Raphael hollered from another room. Michelangelo started, his hand snapping back to his side.

Leonardo smiled. "It gets boring after a while anyway," he consoled, rubbing his eyes.

"Dude!" Michelangelo exclaimed. "How could you ever get sick of video games?"

"Hey, if that were one of the few things you could do for over three weeks, you'd get tired of them too. I've watched all our good videos, I've read all your comic books twice – thanks, by the way – and most of Don's books read like stereo instructions."

Michelangelo grimaced. "Want me to get you some more comics?" he offered. "Or get other books and videos? Or anything?"

"No, thank you, Mikey," Leonardo replied. He released a heavy sigh. "I don't think anything anyone could bring is going to make me any less bored at this point."

Michelangelo nodded. He looked to his feet as he shuffled them. Silence reigned. Suddenly, Michelangelo's head snapped upward. "Hey, I'm headed to the dojo for practice. Why don't you come along and watch? Since you haven't been, we've had to take turns sparring with Sensei, and he's not going easy on us."

Leonardo perked up.

"Want to see someone get his ass kicked?"

Raphael flew upside down through the air. His shell hit the wall with a crack. "Ugh!" he grunted. He slid down the wall beside Leonardo's chair. Turning to his brother, he asked, "Have I mentioned how much I've missed sparring with you, Leo?"

Splinter dealt him a swift kick to the abdomen.

"Ugh!" Raphael curled into a fetal position, clutching his midsection. "Really, really missed it?" he rasped.

Splinter jabbed his walking stick into the turtle's shoulder and flipped him onto his back. He pressed the stick tight into Raphael's neck. "Pay attention, Raphael!" he admonished.

"Yes… Sensei," Raphael choked. Splinter let him up. Sputtering, Raphael rolled onto his hands and knees.

Splinter looked to his coughing son, and then to Michelangelo and to Donatello. "Nito o ou mono wa itto o mo ezu."

"_One who chases after two hares won't catch even one_," Leonardo mumbled the proverb in English.

"You must not allow for distraction," Splinter told his sons. "The moment you lose focus is the moment your enemy will savor. You will do well to remember this when you take to the streets tonight."

"Yes, Sensei," Michelangelo and Donatello said together. Raphael nodded and got to his feet.

"That is all for today." Splinter inclined his head to his students. The three bowed and stowed their weapons.

"Hey, Leo, need us to bring you back anything while we're out?" Donatello asked as he, Raphael, and Michelangelo headed for the door.

"Yeah, how about a pizza?" Michelangelo offered. "Like with caramel, onion rings, and sausage?"

Leonardo forced himself to smile. "No, thanks, Mikey," he replied.

"Caramel, onion rings, and sausage?" Raphael pondered. "Hey, Mike, that sounds pretty good."

"Yeah, I know. I had a dream about it last night, and I've been craving it ever since," Michelangelo replied.

"Hey," Donatello suggested, "Let's get it."

"Yeah!" Raphael seconded. "Leo, we'll bring you back some."

"Thanks, guys!"

Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo left. The main door slammed shut behind them, the vibration and thud echoing through the lair. Leonardo blinked hard.

"Master Splinter?" he asked. "When will I be ready to go on patrol again?"

"Soon, my son," Splinter replied. He laid a hand on the turtle's shoulder. "You must first regain your strength. Perhaps you will choose to spend more of your recovery in mediation."

Leonardo closed his eyes and bowed his head. "Yes, Sensei," he breathed. He pulled himself out of the chair with a groan and hobbled to his room, snatching a throw pillow from the couch along the way.

Leonardo set the pillow on his chair before easing himself into it. He positioned his shell in the middle of the pillow, sitting on the front most part. He flattened his feet against the floor and held his hands in cosmic mudra. His abdomen twinged as he strained his back, and he hissed with pain. Maintaining the upright position, he closed his eyes and turned to zazen – the study of self.

Turning his attention inward, Leonardo lowered his eyes to the floor. He drew a deep breath through his nose and released it ever so slowly. 'One,' he counted mentally. He inhaled another breath, focusing on the spiritual center of his body, on the hara. He exhaled. 'Two.'

He continued to count breaths, observing the flow of ki – of energy – into his body, through his hara, and out his nose. He counted breaths to ten and repeated the cycle. Soon, he was deep within himself and counted every other breath. His counting stopped once the strength of his focus had built. He had reached joriki. He followed his breaths with ease.

Michelangelo's caramel, onion ring, and sausage pizza came to mind. Leonardo smiled at the thought before pushing it aside and restoring his concentration. Ki cycled through his body with every meditated breath, sweeping warmth through his wound.

Leonardo could not envision a time when his plastron would be whole. That was his scar to bear, a reminder of his failure. Catching himself entertaining a stray thought, Leonardo acknowledged that this was not the first time he had had it. He willed the thought out of mind and resumed following his breath.

Ki cycled, and the thought followed suit. Leonardo kept pushing it away, but it kept returning.

"Do not hide in zazen," he remembered his Sensei's teachings. "Dismiss fleeting fancies of the mind. Embrace the thoughts that trouble you. You must face them, understand them, and learn from them."

Leonardo watched himself in his mind's eye as he and Koga Arata withdrew a few steps from one another. He observed the other's glare as he observed his breath. He held out one katana, the other guarding his face. He blocked one ongoing sai. How had he failed to see the other, until it was buried in his plastron?


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

"Bye, Leo!" Michelangelo called into his brother's room. "We're going out on patrol!" He waited for a response in vain.

"What's the matter with him lately?" Raphael asked. "He's been sulking in his room all week."

"He's not sulking," Donatello said. "He's meditating, which is good. It'll help him heal. Let's leave him to it. Come on, guys."

The three left the lair. Within his room, from his chair, Leonardo observed the silence. His attention returned inward, to his spiritual center, where he held his hands in cosmic mudra. He counted his breath. He felt the energy cycle through his body – into his nostrils, through his hollow hara, and out into the atmosphere. Squeezing his eyes shut, he followed his breaths and willed the ki to heal him. His eyes clenched tighter and tighter. His head was pounding, a reminder that his failure could not be spirited away from him.

Leonardo heaved a sigh. He fixed his eyes on his plastron, to the ugly scar that slashed the lower side. He traced it with his hand. He would always have this scar.

From his bedside table, his shell cell beeped. Leonardo dragged himself out of his chair and opened the device. His eyes widened at Karai's image on the screen. "Karai!"

"I apologize for not contacting you sooner," Karai said. "Please, we must speak in person. I request that you meet me on the Motegi building again. Are you free at present?"

Leonardo nodded. This was one thing he could do. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Leonardo." The shell cell went blank.

Leaning over a table with a groan, Leonardo collected his katanas. He sheathed them and headed out of his room. He took one last glance back before slipping out of the lair.

Leonardo climbed the ladder nearest to the sewer. He popped out a manhole in the sidewalk and disappeared into the shadows. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Soon he reached the Motegi building, where Karai stood in wait. The two exchanged bows.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"My wounds are healing," Karai replied. She narrowed her gaze. "And what of you, Leonardo?"

"Well, I'm scarred," he admitted. He pointed to the dark and deep indentation in his plastron.

Karai studied the mark. She took a deep breath and breathed, "_Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls. The most massive characters are seared with scars_."

Leonardo grimaced. "I am certainly not a massive character," he said. He took a seat on the roof, on the edge of a chimney. "And my soul sure isn't strong at the moment."

Karai sat beside him. The two observed their silence, listening to the hum and horns of the traffic below them on the streets of Manhattan. The silence ate at Leonardo's conscience.

"I failed, Karai," he confessed. "I led my brothers into battle and did not protect them. Instead, they were left to attend to me while Koga Arata got away. My weakness hindered them."

"You are not weak, Leonardo," Karai assured him. "Koga Arata escaped us both, but he will not escape again."

She lifted the bottom hem of her shirt, exposing a mean gash across her pale, yellow torso. Leonardo observed the sai's sting. The wound looked remarkably like his, despite the difference between a turtle's plastron and human flesh.

"This is not a mark of failure, Leonardo," Karai said, glancing from her abdomen to his eyes. "This is the brand of a warrior. _War brings scars_, as your leader Benjamin Franklin once said. We are at war. We may have lost the battle, but we have not lost the war. Our scars will remind us of this resolve. In time, they will remind us of victory. Remember the ancient proverb – _Fall seven times, stand up eight_."

Leonardo drew back his head, straightened his back, and squared his shoulders. Slowly, he nodded.

Karai lowered her head. "Besides, it is I who am weak. I have chased after two hares. In honoring my father, I have dishonored our alliance. I had hopes of calling you friend. That is finished now." She buried her chin into her chest and shivered.

Shaking his head, Leonardo put an arm around her shoulder. "Hope no longer," he said. "Call me friend. _Saru mo ki kara ochiru_, Karai. Nobody's perfect. _Even monkeys fall from trees_. What matters is that you are making the effort to do the right thing. That's all anyone can ask of you and all you can ask of yourself."

Karai looked to him with tears in her eyes. "Leonardo," she whispered. "I have made a grave mistake."

"You can repent of mistakes," Leonardo reminded. "They can be forgiven."

The Foot leader turned from the turtle. "Not this one."

--

Quote by Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese American philosopher (1883-1931)


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

Leonardo trekked through the sewers, his feet sloshing water and sludge. His eyes were fixed ahead, his back straight. His spirit felt stronger than it had in weeks.

His steps slowed at the sight of crimson streaked across the sewer wall. He halted and moved toward the mark. It was blood. He glanced further down the sewers. Blood was smeared at intervals, as far as his eyes could see. He stumbled after the streaks, tracing the trail to a bloody stain on the wall in the shape of a hand… a mutant turtle's hand.

"No." Leonardo's breath hitched. He broke into a run, fear pulsing through his veins. Sewer water splattered his legs and feet and the walls as his steps pounded the ground. Red streaked at the periphery of his vision. He drew each breath with greater difficulty. His lungs were sore, his side aching.

He flew into the lair. "Guys?" he called. Speckles and footprints cast in red cut through the common area. They led to Michelangelo's room. "Mikey!"

"Leo, in here!" Raphael peeked out of Michelangelo's room, a sweep of the hand beckoning him inside.

Leonardo burst through the door, pushing Raphael aside and rushing to the bed. There lay Michelangelo, unconscious. Blood seeped from the bandage wrapped around his head. His right forearm was skinned. Donatello leaned over the prone form, palms pressed into his brother's plastron. Through clenched eyes, he sobbed.

"Where is Master Splinter?" Donatello cried. "We need him!"

"Donny, you don't need him," Raphael insisted. "Just focus."

Donatello squeezed his eyes shut harder, his knuckles whitening. He mouthed words to himself, but then gritted his teeth. Collapsing onto Michelangelo's chest, he wept. "I'd give all my erudition for spiritual wisdom," he whispered.

"Come on, Donny! Don't give up!" Raphael stood behind his younger brother and pulled him into an upright position by the shoulders. He returned Donatello's hands to Michelangelo's plastron before kneeling beside his brother. He laid his palms beside the other's hands. "You too, Leo," he directed.

Leonardo stumbled to the other side of the bed. He forced himself into a kneeling position, feeling his midsection protest. He gritted his teeth and laid trembling hands on Michelangelo. His eyes closed. He drew deep, even breaths through his nose and focused on Michelangelo's injury. He willed the ki of the universe to flow through him and to wash over his brother's battered frame.

In his mind, Leonardo saw a bright light. He felt it radiate from his palms, into Michelangelo's plastron. The life force energy warmed Leonardo's body. He tilted his head back, basking in the glow. He pictured white hot energy channeled through his and his brothers' spirits, enveloping Michelangelo and embracing his cold, weak form.

Leonardo felt compelled to walk on his knees to the front of the bed and to lay his palms of Michelangelo's head. Energy shocked his hands. He jerked them back with a gasp but returned them. The energy seared his palms, but he kept them on his brother's head. Taking slow, deep breaths through his nose, he blocked out the pain and focused on the flow of ki from him to Michelangelo.

Several minutes passed with the three brothers in silence, meditating on the needs of the wounded. Donatello was the first to break formation. He rose to his feet and retrieved fresh gauze. He moved to lay the gauze on Michelangelo's forehead but paused when he saw the current bandage still appeared clean.

"At least the bleeding has stopped." Donatello held a hand to his forehead.

Leonardo and Raphael lowered their arms and sat back on their heels. Leonardo took Michelangelo's hand into his own. "What happened?" he asked.

"We were ambushed," Raphael replied, a scowl forming. He shook his head. "Foot solders were waiting for us when we were coming topside. Mikey was first out of the sewers, and he got hit over the head with the manhole cover. He fell right through my arms, knocked into Donny, and hit the ground. Mikey has been out cold since then. They knew we was coming, and they knew exactly where we were."

"What?!" Leonardo exclaimed, his eyes widening. "How?"

Donatello swallowed hard. He pulled an item off the bedside table and dropped it into Leonardo's hands. "I got this off one of the Foot soldiers," he said.

Leonardo stared at the device – a gray, unfinished version of the shell cell, plugged into a small, thick block with a black screen. He turned it over in his hands before flipping it open. A two-dimensional map appeared, one that he recognized all too quickly as the sewers. Four dots clustered in the middle of the screen. A longitude and latitude read-out scrolled along the bottom.

Leonardo squinted at it. "But I don't understand."

"Somebody reverse engineered a shell cell and added a tracking device," Donatello explained. He blinked hard before looking Leonardo in the eye. "The original was Karai's."

The words sent a shiver down Leonardo's spine. "But, but how do you know…"

"Whoever did the reverse engineering made this device with a mold of the original." Donatello rubbed at his temple. "I put a code on each shell cell, mainly because of Mikey. You know how he's always losing things and then thinking other people's stuff is his." He heaved a sigh. "This copy bears Karai's code."

As he digested the last sentence, Leonardo tightened his grip on the device. Through clenched teeth, he growled. He threw the device into the wall, shattering it into pieces. Donatello and Raphael looked to the casing and circuits and wires scattered in the corner of Michelangelo's bedroom, their mouths agape. By the time they looked back at Leonardo, he was gone.

"Leo!" Raphael shouted. He rounded the corner and ran into the common room in time to see a flash of green streak out the door. "Leo, they could have more of those things! You could be walking into a trap!"

Leonardo's voice echoed through the lair. "Then let them get me!"


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

Leonardo thundered through the sewers, his heavy and deliberate footsteps spraying sludge in his wake. His side ached. He grinded his teeth and continued onward. He reached the nearest ladder to the surface and ascended it in two bounds. He shoved aside the manhole cover. A human hand reached for it.

Leonardo growled and slammed his fist into the hand. The cover dropped. He grabbed the wrist and yanked the Foot soldier through the open manhole. The ninja slapped the ground with a bone-crunching thud.

Leonardo vaulted out of the manhole and downed two more ninjas with a roundhouse kick. He drew his katanas and slashed three more in rapid secession. Pain stabbed his midsection. Clutching his side, he took several paces back and scanned the scene. Six more Foot soldiers were coming at him. A few dozen stood line by line in wait.

Pivoting on his heels, Leonardo turned and ran. He headed for the nearest building, the Foot in hot pursuit. He hurdled himself into the air and latched onto a fire escape. He was pulling himself onto the platform when a Foot soldier snatched his ankle. Leonardo shook his foot, but the grip tightened. He wrapped his hands around the base of a railing. The ninja yanked hard. Leonardo scraped against the cold metal railing as he fell off the fire escape. His ass hit the ground, and his head smacked the wall.

Leonardo's world spun around him and tumbled into darkness. He came to a second later, in time to catch sight of a sword thrusting for his plastron. He rolled onto his knees, his shell shielding him from the blow. A back flip dropped him behind the ninja, who was turning as Leonardo ran him through with his katanas. He jumped up the fire escape before the other ninja reached him.

Once on the rooftop, Leonardo grabbed his shell cell. "Karai!" he spoke as he leapt from building to building. "I need you!"

Karai bowed her head, and the screen went blank. Leonardo stowed the shell cell.

He was wheezing when he reached the Motegi building. He looked back. A couple dozen Foot soldiers were several buildings away, headed for him. He held his katanas at an X across his legs. Pain nipped at his scar. He swallowed hard, holding it at bay. His heart raced, pulsing through his body so loudly that he didn't hear someone approach from behind.

"You wished to…"

"Ryya!" Leonardo growled, whirling around with an extended katana. Karai blocked the blow with her sword. Leonardo swung the second katana at her throat, and she deflected. The two were face to face, weapons intertwined.

"You coward!" Leonardo sneered at Karai. "How could you?"

Karai shook her head. "Leonardo, I…"

"You lied!" he spat. "You never wanted an alliance! You've been using me all along!" He pulled his katanas from her hold and wielded them at her chest. She blocked each thrust, but Leonardo kept swinging.

"Leonardo…"

"I'm done listening to your lies!" He kicked her in the stomach and felled her. Crossing his katanas, he laid the blades on either side of her throat. "This is for Michelangelo!"

The next thing he knew, he was on the ground with a splitting headache. His eyes focused in time to see a ninja sailing toward his face. Leonardo wrenched the ankle and dragged the ninja to the ground. With a swift roll backwards, he sprung to his feet. He impaled the oncoming ninja and blocked the swing of another's bo.

Two ninja came at him from behind. Leonardo spun on his heels and prepared to block when a familiar figure dropped in front of him and toppled the pair with a low kick.

"Raphael!" Leonardo shouted at his brother. "Go home!"

"I ain't leaving you!" Raphael protested. He plunged a sai into a Foot soldier's chest and kicked him to the ground.

"GO!" Leonardo sliced two ninjas at either side.

"Damn it, Leo! You don't have to fight alone!"

Growling, Leonardo shoved his brother to the ground. "This is my battle, Raph! Butt out!" He ran at the onslaught of Foot soldiers, bulldozing four like dominoes. One tripped him. Leonardo jumped to his feet and swung at the ninja.

From the back of the pack charged a ninja with a kusarigama, a scythe with a long weighted chain. Grasping the black steel handle in his right hand with his last two fingers and thumb, he wrapped the chain around his index and middle fingers and pulled it taut at arm's length in front of him. He swung the chain overhead and whipped it at Leonardo.

The metal kusari grappled the turtle's wrists. His katanas clattered to the ground, and he pulled at his restraints. The ninja pulled too, yanking Leonardo toward him. Two others came from the sides and slammed their feet into his plastron. One connected with the scar. Leonardo cried out and folded in on himself. The chain yanked him upward. The ninja with the kusarigama charged with the business end of the kama, wielding the sickle blade toward Leonardo's throat.

A flying sai sliced through the Foot soldier's chest, dropping him to his knees. Leonardo dropped with the ninja. With shaky hands, he took up his katanas and pulled himself to his feet.

He sliced and stabbed and snarled until all the ninja lay in a heap. He then leaned over his legs and panted, wobbling in place. The turtle tipped backwards.

Raphael caught his brother's arm. "Easy there, big guy!"

Leonardo clutched the black and purple bruise that now encompassed his scar. "Where's, where's Karai?" he wheezed.

"Leo, forget about her! You need to go home."

"No!" He pushed his brother's hand off his elbow. He wavered. Propping himself up on a katana held him upright. "No, I have to find her! I have to…"

Raphael shook his head. "Leo, look at yourself! You're in no condition to fight!"

Leonardo sheathed his katanas. Swaying back and forth, he held up his head. "I'm fine. Now, would you let me face my demons?"

He ran to the edge of the Motegi building and jumped to the next. His foot slipped, his arms hitting the ledge hard. Leonardo grasped the rooftop and pushed off his hands with all his might to pull himself up.

"Leo! Hang on!" Raphael cried. He leapt to the next building and reached for his brother.

Leonardo's hands were slipping. Terror washed his frame. His fingers frantically attempted to grip the ledge, but cold concrete scraped the tips instead.

"LEO!!" Raphael screamed as his brother fell down the side of the building. Leonardo's flailing form disappeared into the night.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

Leonardo slammed shell-first into an open dumpster. Dust plumed around him, and pain erupted throughout his body. He cried out into the night. Moving his elbows back, he attempted to pull himself into a sitting position. He tried to push up on his arms, but he couldn't.

His head flopped back, and he lay amidst the trash. His limbs tingled like they had fallen asleep and were slowly waking up to a blanket of pins and needles. His plastron throbbed. He scrunched up his eyes, pushing his mind to enter into zazen. He tried to count his breath, but numbers ceased to make sense in his clouded mind. Leonardo moaned.

"_Keizoku wa chikara nari_," came the whisper. "_Continuance also is power_."

Leonardo closed his eyes. "_Kaeru no ko wa _kaeru," he replied. "_Child of a frog is a frog_. I should have known what to expect from the daughter of the Shredder."

A slender sillhouette vaulted through the air and landed in a crouch at Leonardo's feet. Her arms rested on her knees. "I never wanted to hurt you, Leonardo."

Leonardo glared at Karai. "You used the shell cell I gave you against me and my family," he snarled. "You did this with good intentions?"

Karai hung her head. "My father discovered the shell cell while I was recovering from our encounter with Koga Arata. Dr. Stockman used it to create a tracking device. That is how your brothers were ambushed."

"And you wouldn't stop him," Leonardo said through gritted teeth.

She shook her head. "How could I? He is my father. But I called on you tonight to make sure that you would be safe."

Leonardo closed his eyes again, pain pulsing through his frame. "You hurt my brothers, Karai. I was a fool to trust you, but never again. _Fukusui bon ni kaerazu. Spilt water will not return to the tray_." He opened his eyes. Baring the palm of his hand, he said, "Give me your shell cell."

Sighing, Karai retrieved the device from her belt. She dropped it in Leonardo's hand and folded his fingers around it. "I am sorry, Leonardo." She turned and leapt into the darkness.

Leonardo's head sunk deeper into the trash. His eyelids fluttered shut, and he gave into his desire to slip away in sleep. Heavy footsteps awoke him.

"Leo!" Raphael hollered. "LEO!"

"I'm in here," Leonardo murmured.

The footsteps grew louder and louder. Moments later, Raphael dropped into the dumpster beside him. His face paled. Swallowing hard, he asked, "Now do you think you should go home?"

"Okay, Raph," Leonardo conceded. "You win."


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

Michelangelo gasped. "You sunk my battleship!" he exclaimed.

Shaking his head, Leonardo chuckled. "Dude, I always sink your battleships! Why do you want to keep playing this game when I always win?"

Michelangelo shrugged and shoved half a slice of chocolate and zuchini pizza into his mouth.

The two sat across from one another in the two cushiest chairs in the common room. Leonardo leaned back in his seat and glanced at the closet. "Let's play something else. What else do we got?"

"I don't know," Michelangelo replied. "Raphael!" he called over his shoulder.

"Busy!"

"Ra-aph!" the little brother whined. "Leo and I are done with _Battleship_ and want to know what other fine Milton Bradley game we have in our arsenal."

Raphael stormed out of the kitchen and into the common room. "You know, Mikey, some of us have to work around here! Donny and I may not have had to deal with your conceptual art or your special sauce all month, but cleaning the lair is still a pain in the ass!"

Michelangelo sighed. "Damn, I miss my special sauce. I haven't been able to make it in weeks."

"And what's wrong with the pizzas I've been making you?"

Michelangelo winced. "You're too heavy on the oregano, dude."

"Wow. I feel so appreciated."

"Raph, your pizza is fantastic!" Leonardo praised. "Can we have another one?"

Raphael crossed his arms. "Do you guys want me to make pizza, or do you want me to get you another game?"

Leonardo and Michelangelo looked at one another and shrugged. "Yes," they replied together.

Raphael retrieved _Aggravation_ from the closet and threw it into Michelangelo's lap. "Here you go, princess!" he muttered before disappearing into the kitchen.

Leonardo and Michelangelo closed their _Battleship_ boards and dropped them on the floor beside their chairs. Michelangelo opened the box for _Aggravation_ and sighed. "Oh, yeah. We're missing half the marbles. I forgot about that." He sighed and pushed the game onto the table.

Leonardo shrugged. Leaning back in his chair, he asked, "How's your head feeling?"

"It's all right," Michelangelo replied. He slid _Aggravation_ around the table with the tip of his finger. "Lately, I've only had headaches when going to bed."

Leonardo grimaced. "I'm really sorry, Mike."

"Dude, when are you going to stop apologizing?" Michelangelo shook his head.

Raising a hand to his youngest brother, Leonardo exclaimed, "Well, it's my fault you got hurt in the first place!"

"You didn't smack me upside the head with a manhole cover!" Michelangelo argued, and Leonardo winced. "Dude, all you did was tried to give a lady a second chance! You can't be faulted for that! How were you supposed to know that it was like _neko ni koban_?"

Leonardo smiled. "Wow, Mike! You've been practicing your Japanese!"

"Yeah, Donny lent me the same Japanese primer that you were reading before," he replied. "I'm a hell of a lot smarter since I got hit in the head." Michelangelo's smile faded. "Seriously, Leo, you have to stop blaming yourself. I sure as shell don't."

THUD!

A string of profanity poured out the kitchen in Raphael's voice.

"Raph's still working on the kitchen?" Donatello asked as he approached with a folding chair. He put it down between Michelangelo and Leonardo and pulled up to the table. "He still has to clean the bathrooms!"

"Dude, you're already done?" Michelangelo squacked.

Donatello grinned. "Of course!" Rubbing his hands together, he asked, "So what are we playing?"

"Nothing," Leonardo replied. Gesturing to the box on the table, he said, "_Aggravation_ is missing pieces."

Donatello peeked into the box. "You mean somebody's lost their marbles?"

Michelangelo snickered.

Bouncing out of his seat, Donatello picked up the game. "Let's play _Trivial Pursuit_," he suggested as he headed for the closet.

Leonardo shook his head. "That's boring! You always win!"

"Didn't you just win forty plus games in a row of _Battleship_?" Donatello asked.

"Yeah, and it was boring."

Donatello rummaged in the closet. "How about telling me what _isn't_ boring?"

"_Pretty Pretty Princess_!" Michelangelo exclaimed.

Donatello and Leonardo stared at him.

"I can't even believe we own that game," Donatello shook his head.

"I can," Leonardo replied. "Mikey bought it."

"Oh, come on, guys! It's wicked funny!"

Donatello shrugged and pulled the game out of the closet.

Several minutes later, Raphael emerged from the kitchen. He had a pizza in his hands and a scowl on his face. He was halfway into the common room when he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Yes!" Donatello exclaimed. He snatched a purple plastic crown from the middle of the table and planted it on his head. "I win! I'm the pretty pretty princess!"

"Yes you are, honey!" Michelangelo exclaimed. A pink bracelet dangled from his wrist as he reached over and pinched his brother's cheek.

"Are you girls ready for some pizza?" Raphael asked in a high, squeaky voice.

The three at the table jumped. They quickly pulled off their plastic princess jewelry and threw it in the box. Donatello closed the lid and stuffed the game under his seat. Meanwhile, Raphael pulled up a chair and put the pizza on the table. The four each grabbed a slice and chowed down.

"Guys, it's pretty sad you've resorted to playing dress-up," Raphael commented between bites. "I don't need my brothers turning into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Princesses. We really need to get back on patrol!"

Splinter entered the room. "I believe I smell sushi pizza," he smiled. "My favorite!" After pulling over another chair, he sat. He raised a slice and nibbled it. A smile swept over his face. "Yes, very good. Thank you, Raphael!"

"Good enough so I get out of cleaning the bathroom?"

"No."

Raphael sighed and slumped in his chair.

"Sensei?" Leonardo asked, setting down his pizza. "When will we be ready to return to our patrol again?"

"Soon, my son," Splinter replied. He took another bite. The turtles sat in silence as he chewed and swallowed it. Their sensei continued. "You four grow restless, but realize that you also grow strong. _Ame futte chi katamaru_."

"After the rain, earth hardens," Michelangelo translated.

Closing his eyes, Spinter nodded. He finished his slice of pizza and reached into the pocket of his kimono. "Now, who would like to see polaroid pictures of my sons, the pretty ninja princesses?"

THE END


End file.
